Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said that only former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki has the potential to give him a tough fight in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.
Rijiju is the Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal West, the seat for which the opposition Congress has fielded veteran leader Tuki and the Janata Dal (Secular) has former Mahila Congress general secretary Jarjum Ete as its contender.
“I have the highest regards for Tukiji and consider him as my elder brother. He has served Arunachal in various capacities, as an MLA, minister and chief minister for 25 years and has done his job. However, it is now the turn of the next generation. It is now my duty to fulfil what Tuki could not do for the state in all the capacities I possibly can,” Rijiju said.
The minister clarified that his fight against Tuki would not be on personal grounds but that on political basis.
Rijiju, who was addressing a news conference at the state BJP officer here, further said that the BJP and its allies will win 21-22 seats out of the total 25 seats in the Northeast.
“The reports that we are getting from ground suggest that Congress may not win even a single seat. There will, however, be seats which the NDA partners will also win. Let the people decide the same,” he said.
Rijiju said that this is the time for BJP and he believes that the people of the region have understood that the region has lost its glory under Congress regime.
“The Northeast has all the natural resources and potentials which can make it an important economic and commercial hub and that is what we want to turn it into. Our dream is to revive the lost glory of the region,” the MoS said.
Speaking on Act East Policy, Rijijiu said: “The Northeast has had everything but we lacked the support of the Centre under the Congress regime, that is why Prime Minister Modi changed Look East policy to Act East policy and the same is backed by action,” Rijiju said.
The union minister on the occasion also highlighted several developmental projects and schemes initiated by the BJP government for Arunachal Pradesh.
“The Centre has sanctioned more road projects in the past five years than what was sanctioned in the past five decades. Almost 30 per cent of these road projects have been completed while the works are on full swing or in tender process in the remaining 70 per cent,” Rijiju said.
The minister said that he has also lived up to the promise he made in his election campaign in 2014 and accordingly 80 per cent of villages which have no roads are now connected with one under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
The MoS added that besides 7 advance landing grounds (ALGs), 2 commercial airports have been made operational in the state and the land compensation issue in regards to Hollongi Greenfield airport near Itanagar has also been solved and PM Modi has already laid the foundation stone for it.
Rijiju said that he and the BJP, if voted to power, would finish all the pending works in the next five years and also execute many new projects and schemes which they have dreamt of for the state.
Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh will be held simultaneously on April 11.
The saffron party has already won three Assembly seats in the state uncontested.